Buffer for railways.



i A. H. WOOD. 1 BUFFER FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I6 914.

Patented 001.12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. H. WOOD. BUFFER FOR RAILWAYS.

- Patented 001;. 12, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 5&9 5

all

COLUMBIA PLANOFIRAI'H cu WASHINGTON. D c.

k UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER Woon, or rnrnos, TENNESSEE.

BUFFER FOR BAILWAYS.

To all whom it may concern w Be it known that I, ALEXANDER I AMILTO'NWoon, acitizen ofthe United States, residing at Petros, in the county ofMorgan and 1 State of Tennessee, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Buffers for Ra1lways, of which the following is aspecification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide such a buffer whichwill permit a large measure of rearward yielding after irnpact by thecar and which will return forwardto its normal position after the carhas l the car in the return! direction, and prefer ably, bring it torest in the position it 0c been stopped, and by such movement movecupied at the moment of impact with the bufler. The entire buffer ismounted on wheels resting and adapted to travelon the track. Andprovision is preferably made to allow the buffer to travel to both sidesof its normal position, :as hereinafter described. Thus my improvedstructure may be termed a buflerlcar, and it will be seen that this carisiianormally stationary.

ln the. accompanying drawings, Figure 1 3 isa side elevationof astructureembodying my improvement; F 1g. 21s an end view lookingtowardthe right of the structure as Shown in g- Fig. 3 is a section on theReferring to said r drawings, R, It, are

fixedtrack rails supported on ties, T;

1 G is one end of a rotary tipple structure which is arranged forrotationon an appproximately horizontal axis located above andapproximately parallel to the rails, R. c In the formshown inthedrawings, said structure. rises slightly from left' to right.

Said tipple is in the form of a tubular frame,

supported on stationary rollers,B. This form of tipple is well known andneed not be described in detail. Thetipple has two track rails, D, theends of whichregister with therails, R, and rise a little from left 3 toright; and it is to be assumed that at the right of the rotary tipple,thereis a fixed track. inclining toward the tipple and registeringwiththe track .in the tipple in the Specification of Letters Patent.

gradually bring Patented Oct.

Application filed December 16, 1914. Serial No. 877,471.

usual manner, so that cars mayrun bygravity from any point on saidinclined stationary track into the tipple, ashas heretofore beenjdone. ia l a r r The function of the buffer in the 1nechanism illustrated bythe drawings is to stop the car when it runs by gravity into the tipple.The normal position of the buffer is such as to cause impact with thecar when the latter attains its proper position in the tippl'e. But whensuch impact occurs, the buffer yields and allows the car to moveleftward out of the tipple until the momentum of the car has beenentirely overcome, and then the buffer travels 3 rightward, pushing thecar in the same direction, until the normalposition of the buffer hasbeen resumed.

In the particular form of the apparatus illustrated by. r the drawings,provision is madeto allow the buffer to pass rightward of itsnormalposition, on account of mo-j mentum acquiredby the buffer and thecar while moving towardtheposition of rest.

The buffer car, E, is supported by. four wheels, 1, 1, restingon therails, B, R. On the. buffer car, E, are a bearing, 2, and a bearing, 3,and an abutment,4, arranged on a horizontal line which is approximatelyin alinement with the axis of the rotary tipple, the bearings, 2' and3,1beingon the right hand or forwardportion of the buffer car. 111 thebearings,2 and 3,is a reciprocatory androjtary shaft, 5 Onthe right handend of said shaft is a rotary,disk-form buffer head, 6, presenting aflat face toward the tipple.

Said head has a hub, 7, which is closed at the right andreceivestheright hand end of the shaft,5. Between; saidmhub and thebearing, 2, a sleeveor hub,8, loosely sur rounds the shaft, 5. Braces,,9, extend from said sleeveoutward and rightward to the head, ,6, andare joinedto the latter, said.

head, braces, and: sleeve forming a rigid shaft. Leftward movernentofthe sleeve, 8,

structure rotatableonthe shaft, 5. An exbracesflQ, and head, 6,;isprevented byena in the hub, .7. a a When pressureis applied against theright gagementof the*& l and of t Shaft hand side of the head, 6, in adirection approximately parallel to the length of the shaft, 5, saidhead and said shaft are pressed leftward, the shaft sliding in thebearings, 2 and 3, and the spring, 10, being compressed between thebearing, 2, and the'sle'ev e,8,

such movement continuing, if the pressure is sufficient, until the lefthand end of the shaft rests against the abutment, 4.

Between the track rails, R, R, are two grooved pulleys, 13 and 1e,mounted in the same upright plane on axles which are horizontal andtransverse to the length of the track, and far enough apart to allowarope, cable, or chain, or similar tension member, 15, to extenddownward between said pulleys. The upper end of said tension memher issecured to an eye, 16, on the forward portion of the buffer. The lowerportion of said tension member is secured to a weight, WV. The structurebelow the pulleys, 13 and 1%, is open downward far enough to permit theweight, V, to stand at such depth as will allow a tension member, 15, ofsuflicient length to permit the buffer to move to the left as far as maybe desired for conveniently and safely receiving impact from a car inthe tipple and bringing such car to a stop. When the buffer is pressedtoward the left, it draws the tension member upward over the groovedpulley, 13. The weight, WV, is such as to permit its lifting by thestress put upon the buffer when the buffer is struck by a car movinginto the tipple and to move the buffer and the other car toward theright as soon as its momentum has been overcome.

When, after the car running into the tipple has been stopped, the buffercar is moved toward the right by the action of the weight, TV, thetension member, 15, runs over the pulley, 13, until the eye, 16, crossesan upright line extending between the grooved pulleys, 13 and 14. Thenthe tension member, 15, bears against the grooved pulley, 14, andtravels upward and rightward over said pulley, the weight, W, beinglifted and yieldingly resisting the movement rightward of the normalposition of the buffer carthe position it occupies when'the eye, 16, isin said upright line. That position brings the head, 6, into position tobear against the car when the latter stands in its proper place in thetipple. As above indicated, the weight, VY, is sufficient to make thebuffer assume and retain its normal position against the pressure of acar which is stationary, or nearly so, in the tipple.

When the tipple is rotated, the car standing therein bears against thehead, 6, and the latter rotates by such engagement with said car. Duringsuch rotation, said head may turn on the shaft,'5, or said head and saidshaft may turn in unison, the shaft turning in the bearings, 2 and 3,this clepending upon whether the greater resistance to rotation residesin the hub, 7, of the sleeve, 8, or in the bearings, 2 and 3.

The area of the right hand or forward face of the head, 6, is to besufficient to properly engage the end of a car running into the tipple.Usually such cars have bumpers. In some cases these are set close to themiddle line of the car body and in other cases they are at or near thecorners of the car body. If cars varying in this respect are run intothe same tipple for discharging, the face of the head, 6, should belarge enough to engage the bumpers which are et the farthest from themiddle line of the car.

The resistance of the coiled spring, 10, and the distance through whichit may be compressed are intended to adapt the head, 6, to yieldleftward for the gradual overcoming of the inertia of the buffer car andthe weight, \V, s0 that the shock from impact against the buffer may bereduced to the minimum.

The tipple is preferably made long enough to receive and turn a group ortrip of cars at one time. The momentum of such a trip of cars, is, ofcourse, greater than the momentum of a single car, and hence there isgreater need for efhcient means for controlling and overcoming suchmomentum and then spotting the trip of cars in proper position withinthe tipple preparatory to turning. In this connection, the provision formovement of the buffer car in both directions from its normal positionand then definitely bringing it to rest in its normal position is veryimportant.

It will be observed that the buffer is freely movable on the track ineither direction from the normal position of the bufler, and that thedistance through which the buffer may move from its normal position islimit ed only by the length of the tension member which supports thecounter-weight. This makes possible a range of movement which can not beattained with a buffer. of which some part is stationary. The range ofmovement from the normal position may be five or ten or twenty-five orone hundred feet, or more. This adapts the buffer to receive and controland bring to rest in a precise position a trip comprising a considerablenumber of heavy cars running at a relatively high speed. The mechanismis more than a railway buffer in the ordinary sense. 'Vhile it does allthat is done by an ordinary buffer, its wide range of movement both waysfrom the position of rest adapts it to serve the additional purpose ofspotting cars used for any purpose.

I claim as my invention,

1. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of arotatable and longitudinally yielding buffer head located atapproximately the height of car body,

andmeans for supporting androtatinga car a inengagement with saidbufi'er head,the car section, a "body, a buffer head on said body,wheels supportingsaid body for travel of the body on the track, andmeans acting ,yieldingly at afipoint on the track to move gsai dzjbodyonsaid Wheels to a chosen posi tion on thetrack for bringing arunningcar described.

i torest on said traek section,substantiallyas a a a 3: In an apparatusof the nature described, the combination of a rotary track sectionyabody, a rotary bufferhead "on said body, wheels supporting said body fortravel i 52111 an apparatus of' the nature de ofthe body onthe track,and means acting yieldingly at a'pointon the track to move a i said bodyon saidwheels to achosen position a (n i the track for bringing arunning car to t on said track section, substantially shaft in thedirection (if saidhead, substantially as described.

"12; InWan apparatus of thenature 'de scribe'd, the combination of abody, Wheels a,

ting said body-for travelof the body;

a counterfwerght, a tension member connecting said counter-weight tosaid body, and relatively fixedrguiding means adapted to actin eitherdirection parallel to the track to permitsaid body to move, under the restraint of -said counter-weighnfto either-side of guiding means, toadapt the appa- Iratus'lto bring a running car to rest at a nfixedjdistance from isaid guiding means, subdescribed.

4;. In; an apparatusof the' nathre de y scribed, (th ecombination of a,rotalytrak section a body, ajjrotatable and endwisej if v 1 3 movablebuifenheadfon said body, wheels r 3 onthetrack,andmeansyactingyieldingly at afpointjbn the track lto move said body onsaiclwheels to achosenfposition onthetrack w for bringing a rnnniyng carto rest oirsaid supporting said may for travel of the body tracksection, substantially as described;

scribed, the combination of a buffer body,

wheels supporting said body for travel of the body on the track, and111eansYengaging the buffer body and acting yieldinglyrela-b tive to achosen point on the tracli to permit said body to move toeithersideofsaid point forbringing a running car to rest on saidtrackata fixed distance from"saidfpoint,

substantially as described.

6. The combination of an endwise movable railwaybufler comprisinga shaftpara allel to the track, a rotatable head on said shaft, andconstantlyacting means tending to: move said head parallel to the track, andyielding means acting to place said 1 buffer at a chosen position on thetraclg substantially as described.

a 7. The combinationofa railway buffer movable] lengthwise on a trackandcomprising bearings parallel to said track, a shaft in said bearings, ahead on said shaft, and a spring tending to move said shaft in thedirection of said headgand yielding means actingto place the buffer at achosen position on said track, substantially as described.

B A railway buffer movable lengthwise. on a track, said buffercomprising bearings parallel to the track, a shaft in said bear-i ings,a head and sleeve and braces on said described.

shaft, and yielding fmeans tending to move said shaft in the directionofsaid head, subsaidl buffer, and" yielding means acting to place saidbuffer at a cl1osen position on the traek, substantially asdescribed.'10, The combination of a railway bufier comiorising supporting Wheels,bearings par allelto the track, ashaft insaid bearings, a head on saidshaft, and a spring tending to movesaid shaft in the direction of, saida head, and yielding means acting to place the buffer at alchosenposition on the track, a substantially as described.

a 11. The combination of aTra ilWay buffer comprising supportingwheels,bearings par: allel tothe trackya shaft in said bearings, ahead andsleeve and braces on said shaft, andi yielding imeans tending to movesaid trackya buff stantiallyas described. y

13;, The combinatlon of a buffer car com prising Wheels for snpportingthe car on a ,tracka movable track section lelCllll J. 7 2::

means? a cting relative toa pointon the track andiconnected with the carfor drawing the "latter to said point for bringing another car to reston said track section, substantially as 14, In an apparatus of thescribed, the combination of a fixed track and a movable tracksection, abuffer body,

wheels supporting said body'on said stationnature dearytrack, a bufferhead on said body, and

means on said track near said movable track section acting yieldingly tomove said body 011 said wheels to a chosen position on the traclr forbrlngmga runnmgcar to rest on said track section, substantially asdescribed.

15.111 an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of astationary tracK and a movable track section, a buifer body, a rotarybuffer head on said body,

wheels supporting said body for travel on said traclnand meansfon saidtrack near said movable track section acting yleldingly to move saidbody and said Wheels to a chosen position on the track for bringing arunning car to rest on said track section, substantially as described;

16. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of astationary track, a movable track section, a bufi'er body,

a rotatable and endvvise movable buffer head on said body, Wheelssupporting said body 'for travel of the body on the track, and meanslocated on said track near said movable track section acting yieldinglyto move said body on said Wheels to a chosen position on the track,substantially as described.

17. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of astationary track, a movable track section, a bufi'er body, a buffer headon said body, Wheels supporting said body on said track, and meanslocated on said stationary track near said movable track section actingyieldingly at either side of a chosen position on the track to move saidbody on said Wheels into said position, substantially as described.

18. In .an apparatus of the nature de scribed, the combination of astationary track, a movable track section, a buffer body, Wheelssupporting said body for travel of the body on said track, a buffersupported by said body, a counter-Weight, a tension mem ber connectingsaid counter-Weight to said body, and a relatively fixed guide memberlocated on said stationary track near said movable track section forguiding the ten sion member whereby the apparatus is adapted to bringa-running car to rest on said track section,-substantially as described.

19. In an apparatus of the nature described, the combination of astationary track, a movable track section, a buffer body, Wheelssupporting said body for travel of the body on the stationary track, abuffer head supported by said body, a counter- Weight, a tension memberconnecting said countereight to said body, and a relatively fixed guidepulley located on said stationary track near said movable track sectionfor guiding the tension member whereby the apparatus is adapted to bringa running car to rest on saidtrack section, substantlally as described.7

20. In an apparatus of the nature de-.

scribed, the combination of a stationary track, a movable track section,a butter body, Wheels supporting said body for travel of the body on thestationary track, a bufier head supported by said body, a counterweight,a tension member connecting said counter-Weight to said body, andrelatively fixed guiding means located on said track near said movabletrack section-and adapted to act in either direction parallel to thename, in presence of two Witnesses, this fourth day of December, in theyear one thousand nine hundred and fourteen.

ALEXANDER H. WVOOD.

\Vitnesses:

RO ERT D. TAYLOR, CYRUs KEHR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

